In applications where graphics processing for a user or client is implemented remotely, such as on a virtual machine (VM) via a remote virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), image/video data (e.g., for 3D graphics) can be rendered into a suitable format for display using a graphics processing unit (GPU) on a remote physical server. The rendered data is then remotely displayed at the client device. OpenGL is a graphics library that depends on GPU. Programmers use OpenGL application programming interface (API) to access the library to write graphics intensive programs such as Computer-Aided Design (CAD) or games. For some programs, such as games, the programs simulate real world objects with computer generated graphics.
OpenGL supports hardware based rendering for 3D graphics using a GPU, where hardware vendors can provide drivers for GPU rendering. However, some current physical machines with VMs may not comprise GPUs due to cost and possibly other resource limitations. In some scenarios, no or a limited number of VMs in a data center or network may directly access and use a GPU. In such cases, there is a need for a mechanism that enables the VMs without GPU access to access a GPU with sufficient performance to keep up with the fast data rate requirements of relatively high rate applications such as 3D gaming, or any other high data rate demanding remote desktop based applications that require 3D graphics rendering such as 3D CAD tools.